Fellow Brides - I'm on a venue hunt! Help :)

I plan on getting married on April 18, 2015 and I'm looking at venues and it's so draining! Not to mention I am on a budget of $12,000. I wish I could search by price, location, and DIY food and alcohol. So I'm turning to The Knot!

Here is what I'm looking for, please comment if you think you know something I don't, hehe!

Preferences

1. DIY Alcohol2. Allow outside caterer (flexible)3. Ceremony and reception for $1,500 or less4. Close to hotel (all guests are out if town)5. Venue for 125 guests

So I would like to spend about $6K-$7K on venue ($1.5K-$2K), food ($3.5K-$4K), and alcohol (DIY) for $1K.

Re: Fellow Brides - I'm on a venue hunt! Help :)

Have you looked into the Fort Worth YWCA? You can bring your own caterer and alcohol. It's super close to all the downtown Fort Worth hotels. Also, I know it is hard, especially with out of town guests, but practically every venue offers cheaper prices on any weekdays. I think your $6-7K on venue, food, and alcohol is pretty reasonable.

Thanks so much Katey! I looked at FTW and I was al for it until I realized that most of my guests are flying into Love Field - which is a long commute. But I am going to still look into the Fort Worth YMCA? These are all preferences so if the price is right, I'm there

Have you considered a hotel wedding? That would help with your guests traveling. Unlikely that you'd get outside catering, but honestly, I was pretty happy to NOT have to sort through a bunch of different caterers when I settled on a venue.

I think that $3500 for food with 125 guests is definitely do-able. That would allow you to do something at $20/plate and leave money left over for the service fee, tax, etc. Buffets can be cheaper than a plated dinner. The best deal I've seen for outside catering is Black Eyed Pea, but that pricing is based off their rates from 2010-2011.

You will also have to consider that a TABC bartender would have to be hired to serve the alcohol, which is (sometimes) an unexpected expense.

Venue rental fees vary--Friday and Saturday nights are more expensive than a weeknight or a Sunday afternoon/evening.

Are you interested in any venues that are completely DIY? Winfrey Point and the Filter Building are popular venues, and are a blank canvas. Where you may save on the rental you would have to put toward rental items, but from what I've read from past brides here it is definitely cost effective.